A layered French sandwich adds a fancy twist to your lunch

Rowena Dumlao-Giardina resides in Italy, cooking and photographing her family's interesting meals on Apron and Sneakers. After moving to Italy in 1999 from the Philippines, she has traveled extensively around the country and the rest of ...

Make the Croque Madame with blue cheese for a delightful twist on the French classic

Croque monsieur is a French sandwich with ham, cheese and béchamel sauce, and because it is so good and very popular, a "wife" version of the sandwich was created: the croque madame.

The madame wears a hat which is actually the egg on top of the sandwich. This is the difference between the monsieur and the madame. Ham and cheese sandwiches have a certain simplicity that attracts any kind of palate and sometimes, from there, flavors can be broadened by adding more ingredients.

In the case of the croque couple, béchamel sauce is smothered on the sandwiches. Top the madame with an egg and you are in for an awesome treat. To take it even further, add blue cheese to this already decadent treat. It's not really for the fainthearted who count their calorie intake like a hawk, but believe me, it's delicious and you will love every bite you take.

Croque madame with blue cheese recipe

Yields 2

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon blue cheese (Roquefort, Gorgonzola or any kind)

Pepper

Salt (optional)

6 slices sandwich bread

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

4 slices cooked ham

4 thin slices cheese (Gruyere or any similar cheese)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 eggs

Directions:

Prepare the béchamel sauce. Over low heat, in a small saucepan, melt the butter then add the flour while whisking.

When the mixture becomes lightly paste-like, which is the roux, gradually add the milk while whisking.

Add the cheese, then when it melts, sprinkle the pepper and salt if it is still needed. Turn off the fire and set aside. When the béchamel sauce becomes lightly thick, thin it out with more milk.

If you are making the croque madame round, use a round food cutter to shape the bread, ham and cheese, then set aside. If you are not shaping them, skip this one.